CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- The Chicago Bears will take on the Pittsburgh Steelers on their home turf on Monday. WBBM Newsradio 105.9's pre-game coverage begins at 4:20 p.m.
Offense
· Protecting the ball and protecting the quarterback will be critical in Heinz Field against the Steelers. TJ Watt is the big reason why.
· In Watt’s 37 regular season and playoff games at home he has 37 sacks, 44 tackles-for-loss, 9 batted passes, and 14 forced fumbles.
· Bears QB Justin Fields is coming off his best game, but the environment will be challenging, loud, and different. The Steelers move right before the snap as much as any defense in the league. He has the Steelers attention based on his mobility and scrambling success. He will watched.
· After blitzing the third most times on a percentage basis last season, Steelers defensive coordinator Keith Butler has dialed up blitzes infrequently in 2021. In fact, only two teams have blitzed less. The suspicion is the Steelers will blitz the rookie quarterback more often. The Bears must be ready. Look out for number 39, Minkah Fitzpatrick. He’s a chess piece at safety for Butler. He moves around from the post, to the slot, to a linebacker in dime, with blitz readiness.
· Fitzpatrick has created two turnovers this season, but has good instincts, is their tackle leader, and has four career defensive touchdowns.
· Timing is everything in the screen game, but the Bears have plenty of screen options at RB, TE, and WR to get to the passing game and take the starch out of the Steelers pressure package.
· The probable return of David Montgomery paired with red-hot Khalil Herbert opens up many possibilities in the run and pass game for coordinator Bill Lazor. Each have cashed in on their opportunities.
Off tackle runs against the Steelers have proven fruitful for teams to this point, but running inside on defensive tackle Cameron Hayward has not been as productive.
· Preventing negative plays against the Pittsburgh defense will quiet the crowd. The Bears have the most negative yardage in the league and the Steelers will aggressively attack the line of scrimmage. They are 9th in negative yards produced on 41 negative plays(#6).
· Getting downfield opportunities or catch and run plays may start with the slot. Allen Robinson’s size and route running savvy could exploit defenders in the Steelers secondary that struggle with size.
Defense
· This is going to be an attitude game. The Steelers play with a toughness the Bears have to match and surpass in a good old fashioned “smash mouth” kind of ballgame.
· San Francisco exploiting the Bears in the second half on the edges, and the Bears for a stretch coordinator Sean Desai called the “worst 11-minute” stretch of the season, will probably be tested in the same manner by Pittsburgh.
· Getting off blocks, aggressive swarming pursuit, and finishing tackles will be a steady reminder from coaches and players. The Bears must tackle well and defend tightly against the Steelers.
· Ben Roethlisberger is heating up. During Pittsburgh’s three-game winning streak, Big Ben is protecting the ball, getting rid of it quicker than any QB in the league, successfully executing run-pass option concepts and scoring points.
· The Bears want to take the ball away, but have been eerily quiet in that regard against veteran quarterbacks. Roethlisberger is due, currently on a streak of 99 passes without an interception.
· Defending the run has proven to be difficult for the Bears defense dipping since week six and struggling to prevent chunk runs even with stacked boxes. The Steelers over the last three games have averaged more than 32 carries producing gains of 148, 19, and 115 in wins over Denver, Seattle, and Cleveland.
· Rookie of the year candidate Najee Harris is an ideal fit for the Steelers scheme. He is big, strong, athletic, patient, smart and elusive. He is also a terrific receiver. He was targeted 19 times against the Bengals, catching 14. He is an outlet for Big Ben, who has completed the 7th most passes in the league under 6-yards and allowing the tackle-breaking Harris to move the sticks.
· In the absence of edge rusher Khalil Mack and the likelihood safety Eddie Jackson is out with a hamstring injury, the next men up have to step up and meet the challenge.
Special Teams
· Both kickers are excellent in this matchup. Cairo Santos continues his franchise record streak of consecutive field goals made to 38, while Pittsburgh’s Chris Boswell is 11-of-12 and perfect on 12 extra points.
· Heinz Field is not the easiest place to navigate with an open end of the stadium creating challenging wind situations and a surface that is often graded poorly. However, a fresh surface of sod has been laid, the weather is expected to be mild, and it should provide a good canvas for success.
· The Bears need a takeaway on kick or punt coverage. A stolen possession with good field position could be a spark that starts a fire for the offense and getting more points on the board. Pittsburgh’s Ray-Ray McCloud fumbled against Cleveland and could be a target for a strip. The Bears punt coverage needs a major improvement ranking last at 14.3 yards-per-return and a league worst 243-yards.
INTANGIBLES
· There is no way to mute the importance of this game for the Bears. The defense needs to rise up. The offense needs to score points. The Special teams unit must make a couple of special plays, preserving and/or obtaining good field position. It’s that simple, but far from simple to accomplish against a Steelers team that thrives on Monday nights at home. A streak of 19 straight home Monday night wins is a steeple in the chase.
· A win going into the bye week with another physical, dangerous AFC north team awaits at Soldier Field on November 14, in what would be a bid to get back to .500. That’s the carrot. Who wants it more?
Related
